Seasons and Horizons

Today reminded me that some places aren’t meant to be conquered in a single visit.

After walking more than eleven miles, we spent time at the Smithsonian. It didn’t take long to realize how enormous it really is. The exhibits are fascinating, but there is simply too much history, science, and culture to absorb in one afternoon.

At first, I found that a little overwhelming. Then I realized something: that’s okay.

Sharing the day with Connor and Miranda made it even easier to slow down. We weren’t trying to race through every exhibit. We enjoyed what we could, knowing there would always be another reason to come back.

The National Mall deserves its own day. The Smithsonian deserves more than one day. In fact, many of the individual museums deserve a full day by themselves. Trying to squeeze everything into one visit only keeps you from appreciating what is right in front of you.

Sometimes a little win isn’t checking every box on a list. Sometimes it’s giving yourself permission to slow down, take in what you can, and leave something for another visit.

Washington will still be here. The museums will still be here. And maybe that’s part of the beauty of it. There are some places in life that remind us we don’t have to experience everything at once.

Today, my little win wasn’t seeing it all.

It was realizing I didn’t need to.